Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Viva La France: Salmon En Papillote



I found salmon at a really great price this week and wanted to do something simple and tasty. Salmon is one of those really forgivable fishes, it takes on practically any flavor and even overcooked it tastes alright. Being French week and all, I wanted to do something inspired by the French. "En Papillote" seemed like the perfect idea. En Papillote is a gentle method where the fish cooks in an enclosed packet, typically made of parchment paper. It steams in its own moisture and creates its own sauce of natural juices.
I love cooking En Papillote for a small crowd. They each get to have their own little package and as they unwrap it, a strong aroma escapes from it and invites them to dig in.
My mother used to bake her fish in the oven like this. She only used simple aromatics to blend with the juices of the fish and create a nice delicate sauce.
I unfortunately ran out of Parchment paper so I used the next best thing, foil.
The result was perfect...nice, light and extremely flavorful! I paired it up with some steamed broccoli with garlic oil.

Salmon En Papillote


1 Fillet of Salmon
1/2 a Red Onion, sliced
1/2 a Red Pepper, sliced
1/2 a Lemon, Sliced
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Lay out fish on parchment paper or foil and season with salt and pepper.
*If serving individual portion, just up the salmon into pieces and serve in individual packages*
2. Nicely place all the veggies on the salmon fillet.
3. Finish off with a drizzle of olive oil and lemon juice.
4. Place in a 450-degree oven for 15-20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately in its packaging!

5 comments:

Deeba PAB said...

Your mama's words are lovely & I love the quote. This fish is awesome...simple & so delightful. I think chickan in packages will work well here too, just will take longer to bake.!

Dewi said...

KISS Delicious indeed.
Cheers,
Elra

test it comm said...

Nice looking salmon!

NKP said...

I love salmon en papillote!
What a great, healthy way of preparing such a delicious fish.

Maria said...

Salmon and veggies, the perfect meal!